Dasse’s Toss Lands Her in Olympics

Bonnie Dasse put herself on the U.S. Olympic team in the fifth round of the women’s shot put Sunday at the Olympic Trials at Tad Gormley Stadium.

After two rounds, Dasse was pushed to fourth place--one spot away from a berth to Barcelona--by Pamela Dukes’ throw of 56 feet 8 inches. Going into Round 5, Dasse, who lives in Costa Mesa, had a best of 56-0.

Dasse’s throw of 58-5 1/2 actually put her in second place, until Ramona Pagel nudged her back to third with a fifth-round toss of 59-6 3/4.

“I just came in here knowing if I didn’t hit the throws, I wouldn’t make it,” said Dasse, 32, who attended Costa Mesa High, Orange Coast College and San Diego State.

Connie Price-Smith finished first with a throw of 62-6 1/2.

Dasse said at the Irvine Elite meet in June that she had been inconsistent during the year. At the meet she had won at 60-1 3/4--her best distance since she threw 63-11 1/2 in 1988. That year, she finished 12th in the Olympics.

Price-Smith and Pagel also participated in Seoul in ‘88, with Pagel qualifying for her third Olympics.

Greg Whiteley, who was ranked 10th in the United States in the 5,000 meters last year and fifth in the 1,500, made a valiant attempt to qualify in the men’s 1,500 meters.